Williams, Jataghi Mrs.

Jones English IV 1 April 2014 Final Reflection

It seems that it was just the year two-thousand and ten. It is August, the weather is warm, and today is my first day of high school. I was fourteen years old when I became a student at Warren Easton Charter High School. I was nervous when I first walked up to the building, I didnt know what to expect. My older cousin went there but I needed to find where I belonged amongst the others. It was a difficult adjustment to make because I attended a small catholic school from pre-k to the eighth grade, a total of ten years. It was weird entering a new building with unfamiliar faces. I took a deep breath and walked through the door. I knew my journey had just begun. My ninth grade year seemed to go by fast; however I must admit that this was a difficult time for me. Not only was I going through the transition of a new school, but I also had to adjust to changes in my home. My attitude became somewhat

gloomy, I struggled a bit academically and I became secluded. I was not prepared for everything becoming so different; but as the year progressed I became more comfortable with myself and everything seemed to fall in place. I met a few people who I became close with, some of whom I am still friends with to this day. Then the school year was over and I found myself preparing for the tenth grade. There is one significant memory that I have from my second year in high school. One of my classmates was shot and killed a few months before school was set to close for the summer. Although we werent close, his death had a significant impact on my life. It was like one day we were sitting in a classroom together and the next day he was gone. At that time in my life I was still trying to find my place, even though I was socializing more with others. It seems that it was all a blur. My grades improved and I even made the honor roll. I also settled into a new routine at home. Before I knew it, it was the summer and I was now onto the eleventh grade. When I became a junior in high school I was no longer timid teenager. I made a lot of friends, my teachers were familiar with me and it was probably my strongest year academically. I took the ACT test for the first time and earned a score of twenty-one, a score that would allow me to go to college, and

earn TOPS. I was so excited when the year came to an end, because I knew that the most important year of high school was approaching. It is August, and now it is the year two-thousand and fourteen. I entered Warren Easton for my last start of high school. My senior year of high school has been a surprisingly difficult year. Partly because I was being lazy, and the other reason is because I was so excited about preparing for college I neglected the fact that I had to complete my senior year. I could have avoided the extra stress with time-management, but I failed to do so. However, this year has opened my eyes and helped prepare me to enter college with a better understanding of responsibility. AS I leave Warren Easton I am no longer the nervous freshman, the strange sophomore, or the curious junior. I am a more confident senior, prepared to conquer my inhibitions and find my place in the world.